1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk drive suspension used in an information processing apparatus provided with a disk for use as a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hard disk drive (HDD) for recording and reading data on and from a rotating disk includes a carriage that is turnable around a pivot. The carriage is turned around the pivot by a positioning motor. The carriage is provided with an arm (actuator arm), a suspension provided on the distal end portion of the arm, a slider mounted on the distal end portion of the suspension, etc.
The suspension is provided with a base portion including a base plate, a load beam, a flexure superposed on the load beam, etc. The slider is mounted on a tongue portion that is formed on a part of the flexure. A dimple or protuberance is formed at the distal end portion of the load beam. The dimple projects toward the slider so that its distal end abuts the tongue portion. Thus, the slider is swingably supported by the dimple. When the disk rotates, the slider flies slightly above the surface of the disk, and an air bearing is formed between the disk and the slider.
The suspension constructed in this manner is provided with means for suppressing an excessive movement of the tongue portion. In a disk drive suspension disclosed in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-133807, a limiter for restricting the motion of a flexure is provided on the distal end portion of a load beam.
The conventional limiter includes a pair of arm portions, bent portions, retainer portions, etc. The arm portions extend individually forward from opposite sides of the distal end portion of the load beam. The bent portions are bent substantially at right angles from the respective distal ends of the arm portions along the thickness of the load beam. The retainer portions extend individually rearward from the respective distal ends of the bent portions and are opposed individually to supported portions of the flexure. When the tongue portion moves away from the dimple, the retainer portions of the limiter abut the supported portions of the flexure, whereupon the flexure is restrained from swinging.
The limiter of the conventional suspension is obtained by forming a projection for limiter formation on a side portion or the like of the load beam and bending the projection into a predetermined shape. Thus, the conventional suspension is subjected to the mass of the limiter, as well as to that of the load beam, and the mass of the load beam is increased. If the projection for the limiter is formed to protrude from a part of the load beam, moreover, the fabric (metal plate) of the load beam is inevitably enlarged by the addition of the projection.